Vortex (Canada's Wonderland)

Vortex is a suspended roller coaster, which enables it to swing under the track at Canada's Wonderland. It officially opened during the 1991 season. On "Vortex" riders are taken up through the top of the mountain and dropped at high speeds. At some points in the ride, the trains swing just above a river running through the middle of the park, giving riders the illusion that the train will touch the water. It is the fastest roller coaster of its kind in the world, joint with Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain, both with top speeds of 55 mph (89 km/h).Ride elementsCars are able to swing side-to-sideIt is considered to be a terrain roller coaster due to the influences of the ride track by the mountain and the riverSimilar ridesThe Bat (formerly Flight Deck and Top Gun) was built in 1993 at Wonderland's sister park Kings Island. It has a near identical layout to Vortex, but there are notable differences. They include speed and height variances and the addition of another car to each train, allowing for 28 passengers per train as opposed to 24.Ride experienceThe train climbs the 91ft lift hill immediately after departing the loading station. The lift takes riders up and over the park's mountain centerpiece. Upon cresting the lift, the train slowly turns to the right adding to the suspense of the upcoming drop. The train then quickly dives off the side of the mountain, sweeps to the right and climbs up the "fan-turn" element of the ride that flies over guests on the midway. It then sweeps back down over the grass and above the river, swooping left and right at 55mi/h. The train dives into a downward helix, which swings only a few feet above the surface of the water. Upon returning to the station, the train swoops left and right a few times more until it charges into the brake run. The immense swinging force as the train enters the brake run causes the cars to swing even after the train stops moving. The ride then turns right back into the station. Vortex is also the tallest suspended coaster in the world; according to the Guinness Book Of World Records